Wednesday, May 28, 2008

Cornelius Washington, DE6-4, 220, Hephzibah GA (Burke County HS), True Fr.A freak of nature. No other way to really describe Cornelius Washington. With a 6-4 frame and sub-4.5 speed, what other term could you come up with? Normally when you hear about a football player that is also a 100-meter sprint champion, you think RB, WR, or DB. (and yes, I know that Washington isn't in the same class with those guys I linked, but you get the picture.) Washington is a legit one hand down lineman with scary speed off the edge, who appears to be set to destroy tackles and tight ends in the SEC for years to come. He often gets forgotten because he committed to UGA in the summer before his junior season at Burke County (and never even visited another school, by the way.) The fact is that Washington might just be the most athletic and talented player in the incoming class, which as we all know is saying a mouthful. If NFL scouts salivated over Marcus Howard, they'll go ape-dookie when they get a look at Washington.Depth Chart Analysis: One might look at the depth the Dawgs are sporting on the defensive line, and say that UGA could afford to redshirt Washington. In fact, it may be just as likely that the Dawgs can't afford to keep him off the field this year. This is just a scary (I keep coming back to that word) blend of size and speed that you don't see often. Depending on how fast Coach Garner and Coach Van Halanger can get some lbs on his frame, we may see Washington on the field sooner than we think. I have visions of grandeur when I imagine him at 245 lbs. He certainly has the frame to support it.

Obviously, I am excited about this kid's long-term prospects twixt' the hedges. That isn't just because he's a CSRA kid like yours truly. I'd be interested to hear everyone else's thoughts on him. Have we just forgotten about him because he's been locked in to UGA for so long?